Combination book and playhouse



March 25, 1969 J. w. DEAN ETAL COMBINATION BOOK AND PLAYHOUSE Sheet Filed March 24, 1966 FIG.3

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COMBINATION BOOK AND PLAYHOUSE Filed March 24, 1966 Sheet 2 of 2 United States Patent 3,434,233 COMBINATION BOOK AND PLAYHOUSE Jesse W. Dean, 3878 Cannon Place, Bronx, N.Y. 10463,

and Louis Silver-stein, 57 Hicks St., Brooklyn,

Filed Mar. 24, 1966, Ser. No. 537,113 Int. Cl. A63h 33/16 US. Cl. 46--21 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A combination childrens book and playhouse based on a single unit construction made up of laterally related, hingedly connected panels bearing printed matter on surface portions thereof, such unit providing an element of a book and being adapted to be associated with a similar unit to form a booklike construction. Alternatively, the unit or units are adapted to be manipulated to bring the panels thereof into polygonal relation to thus form a playhouse.

An object of this invention is to provide a book particularly addressed to children by virtue of the printed matter and illustration thereof, the book comprising page elements of a character and arrangement which permit the book to be converted into a playhouse.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved combination book and playhouse which is made up of hinged panels which may be folded in a manner to form the pages of a book, the panels carrying printed matter and of such structure as to be adapted to be manipulated as the pages of a book; the hinged panels being further adapted to be rearranged to form a playhouse defined by the panels in polygonal arrangement.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved combination book and playhouse which lends itself to simple fabricating procedures, using relatively inexpensive materials, yet providing a sturdy, wear resistant toy; and having a structure which allows for simple and quick conversion of the same from book to playhouse form, or vice versa.

A further object of this invention is to provide a combination book and playhouse made up of hinged panels of stiff but light material, the panels being so related as to form the pages of a book, together with a spine portion, the panels being further adapted to be rearranged from their page simulating form a polygonal enclosure form forming a playhouse, detachable connector means being provided for quick and simple manipulation to retain the panels in either their book page or playhouse form.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

In the drawings, FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a combination book and playhouse embodying the invention in its book form;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view thereof;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view showing a medial page panel portion thereof;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of said combination book and playhouse, showing the same rearranged to form a playhouse;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view thereof;

ice

FIG. 7 is a view similar to that of FIG. 2, showing a modified form thereof; and

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of a roof forming panel.

Essentially, the combination book and playhouse embodying the instant invention comprises at least one unit constituted of a series of laterally related, hingedly connected panels; which in one arrangement thereof, the panels form the pages of a book, said panels bearing suitable printed matter thereon. In another arrangement of the panels, the unit is converted into a polygonal enclosure, the panels forming the sides of such enclosure, which forms a playhouse.

Thus, as shown in FIGS. 1-4, the combination book and playhouse appears in its book form and is generally indicated at 10. The same comprises a pair of similar units 11, 12 arranged in interconnected relation to form a book. As shown in FIG. 2, unit 11 comprises a series of laterally related rectangular panels hingedly interconnected along laterally spaced vertical fold lines. The unit 11 may be formed of a stiff but light weight material, such as double faced corrugated board, cardboard, plastic sheet or the like and may be constituted of a single sheet of material suitably die scored to provide the vertical fold lines for hinging the panels together.

Thus, unit 11 comprises a panel 13 having a free forwardly disposed vertical edge 14 and a rearwardly disposed fold line 15 forming a hingeconnection for said panel 13 to the adjacent panel 16. Panel 16 has a forwardly disposed fold line 17 parallel to fold line 15, and forming a hinge connection for panel 16 to the adjacent panel 18, which in turn has a rearwardly disposed vertical fold line 19 forming a hinge connection for panel 18 to the adjacent panel 20. In turn, panel 20 has a forwardly disposed vetrical fold line 21 forming a hinge connection between panel 20 and the adjacent panel 22 which provides the cover a front page of book 10.

The panels 13, 16, 18, 20 and 22 are flat folded along fold lines 15, 17, 19 and 21 and the panels are imprinted on one surface thereof with pictorial and written matter which may be located on central portions 23 thereof, while simulated brickwork may be imprinted about cen tral portion 23, as at 24. Both sides of the panels may be imprinted as desired.

Unit 12 is similar to unit 11, including correspondingly similar panels 13, 16', 18, 20 and 22' which are hingedly interconnected by fold lines 15', 17, 19" and 21'. Panels 13', 16, 18', 20' and 22' are also provided with imprinted matter 23 and 24, as in the case of the corresponding panels 13, 16, 18, 20 and 22.

The units 11, 12 in overlying relation are organized into book form, by a narrow vertical flap 25 hingedly connected to panel 22 by a vertical fold line 26 and a corresponding vertical flap 25' hingedly connected to panel 22' by a vertical fold line 26. The flaps 25, 25' overlap each other to form the spine portion of the book 10. The flaps 25, 25' are secured together by a pair of spaced screw and nut connectors 27 wherein the screw portion thereof passes through registering openings in said flaps 25, 25'. The fold lines 15, 19, 15, 19 will be located adjacent the overlapping flaps 25, 25 while the outer fold lines 17, 21, 17', 21 and forward edges 14, 14 are in substantial register.

The adjacent panels 13, 13 are detachably secured to each other at marginal portions of adjacent forward edges 14, 14' thereof, by spaced pairs of screw and nut connectors 28. It will be apparent from a consideration of FIG. 2, that units 11, 12 have been so interconnected as to provide a book structure, with the pages thereof constituted of adjacent panel pairs 20, 22; 16, 18; 14, 14; 16, 18'; and 20', 22. The stiffness of the constituent panels allows the simulated pages to be turned to permit the printed matter 23, 24 to be viewed; the flaps 25, 25 serving as the spine for the book.

It is understood that the dimensions of the panels making up book may be varied as desired. However, keeping in mind that the book form of the invention is convertible into a playhouse, it has been found that the individual panels may be about 18 wide and about 27" high.

The book construction 10, shown in FIGS. l4, may be readily converted to the form of a playhouse, in which the panels of each of the units 11, 12 are disposed in a polygonal arrangement. Thus, upon unscrewing connector pairs 27, 28, the units 11, 12 are separated. Unit 11 is then manipulated to locate its panels 13, 16, 18, and 22 in endless form, and with vertical flap thereof overlapping the vertical marginal portion of panel 13 at edge 14 thereof. Registering openings in the overlapped flap and panel portions receive the screw and nut connectors 2'], to hold the same together, and in this case forming a five sided, pentagonal structure 11', see FIG. 5. The structure 11' may be used as a one story playhouse and similarly unit 12' formed from unit 11, in a similar manner, may provide a second playhouse.

However, units 11, 12' are adapted to be associated to form a two story playhouse, see FIGS. 5, 6. To this end, unit 11 is formed with a series of short vertically disposed slots 30 in each of the fold lines 15, 17, 19, 21 and 26; said slots 30 extending downwardly from the top edge 31 of the panels forming unit 11. Similarly, slots 32 are formed in the fold lines 15, '17, 19, 21' and 26 of unit 112, said slots 31 extending upwardly from the bottom edge 3 30f the panels forming unit 12'.

The slots 30, 32 in units 1.1, 12 permit the units to be superposed vertically; the slots 30, 32 interengaging so that marginal portions of the panels of lower unit 11' at top edge 31 thereof can overlap marginal portions 35 of the upper unit 12' at the bottom edge 33 thereof. The slotted connection of units 11', 12' facilitates quick assembly and disassembly of the units.

To further enhance the playhouse and to allow access to the interior thereof, the lower unit 11 is formed with a door panel portion 36 cut and scored in panel 16, forming a fold line 37 to provide a vertical hinge for door panel portion 36, a free top edge 38 and a free side edge 39; the door panel portion 36 extending downwardly to bottom edge 40 of panel 16. Windows and other apertures may be formed in the panels, in a similar manner.

The units 1 1, 12 may also be interconnected to form a one story playhouse unit having ten sides. In this case, the panels 13, 13 are provided with narrow flaps 42, 43 respectively, see FIG. 7, the panel arrangement otherwise being the same as shown in FIG. 2. The panels 13, 13' are held together by a pair of screw and nut connectors 44 which pass through registering openings in the flaps 42, 43, as well as marginal portions of panels 13, 13'.

When the book is converted to a playhouse, screw and nut connectors 44 are disconnected and the units 11, 12 open into a ten sided playhouse and flaps 42, 43 in overlying relation are reconnected by screw and nut connectors 44; screw and nut connectors 27 retaining flaps 25, 25' in overlapping relation.

The playhouse construction in pentagonal form and in either single or double story arrangement, may have its panels retained in pentagonal arrangement by a pentagonal roof panel 50 of corrugated board or the like. Roof panel 50 has tabs 51 projecting from central portions of each of its edges, tabs 51 being bendable downwardly along fold lines 52 to positions at right angles to the plane of panel 50. The roof panel may then be mounted'on the top of the single or double story arrangement of units 11, 12; the tabs 51 bearing against the inner surfaces of the respective panels of said units to frictionally hold the panel 50 in place flush with the top edges of said unit panels.

What is claimed is:

1. A unit for selectively forming a playhouse and for combination with a similar unit to form a childs book, said unit comprising a plurality of laterally related, hingedly interconnected stiff panels, each of said panels bearing printed matter on at least one surface thereof, one of the outermost panels of said plurality of panels including a narrow vertically extending flap portion hingedly connected to the free vertical edge thereof, said panels being foldable along the hinged portions thereof to locate said panels in overlying relation to each other, pairs of adjacent hinged panels forming pagelike elements with the printed surfaces thereof exposed to view upon moving said pagelike elements relative to each other, said narrow flap portion being foldable about its hinged edge to a position adjacent and overlying hinged edge portions of said pagelike elements forming a spine element of said book when attached to a narrow flap portion of a similar unit, said unit being convertible to playhouse form by unfolding said pairs of panels to locate the unfolded panels in polygonal relation to each other with the narrow flap portion of said one outermost panel overlying a vertical marginal edge portion of the other of the outermost panel of said plurality of panels, and means for detachably connecting the overlapping flap portion and the vertical marginal edge portion of the other outermost panel of said plurality of panels.

2. A unit as in claim 1, wherein one of said series of panels includes a door panel portion integral with said panel and defined by one vertical hinge portion, a free top edge and a free vertical edge parallel to said one vertical hinge portion.

3. A combination childs book and playhouse as in claim 1 and including another of said units, the panels of each of said units being in flat folded relation to each other to form a book, said units being in juxtaposed relation to each other with the other of the outermost panels of one unit overlying the other of the outermost panels of the other unit, the free vertical edges of said overlying outermost panels being in substantial registry, second connector means for detachably connecting said overlying outermost panels along the free vertical edges thereof, the narrow spine element forming flap portion of one of said units overlapping the narrow spine element forming flap portion of the other of said units, said first connector means detachably connecting said overlapping flap portions.

4. A combination as in claim 3 wherein said units may be disconnected from each other by removing said first and second connector means, each of said separate units being convertible into a polygonal structure by disposing the panels thereof to bring the narrow flap portion of one outermost panel thereof into overlapping relation to marginal portions of the other outermost panel thereof, reconnecting said overlapping portions with said connecting means, vertically superimposing one of said polygonal units on the other of said-polygonal units, and means for detachably interconnecting adjacent marginal edge portions of said vertically superposed units.

5. A combination as in claim 4, wherein said last mentioned means comprises vertical slots formed in the hinged fold portions of adjacent panels of each of said units, the vertically superposed units having the slotted portions of one unit interfitted with the slotted portions of the other unit whereby marginal bottom edge portions of the uppermost unit overlaps marginal top edge portions of the lowermost unit.

6. A combination as in claim 3 wherein the hinged fold lines of the pairs of adjacent panels of said units at the rear of said panels are in substantial registry with each other and are adjacent the innermost of said overlapped fiap portions of said units.

7. A combination as in claim 3 wherein the other outermost panels in each unit respectively include a narrow flap portion hingedly connected to the outermost vertical edges of said other outermost panels, said second mentioned flap portions being folded inwardly in face to face relation, said second connector means further interconnecting said second mentioned flap portions in face to face relation, said units being convertible from book form into a polygonal playhouse structure upon removal of said second connector means, opening the flat folded arrange- 6 ment of panels into polygonal form and detachably interconnecting said second set of narrow flap portions in overlapping relation.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,059,964 11/ 1936 Hempstone 46-l2 X 2,183,443 12/ 1939 Bracker 46--12 2,608,026 8/ 1952 Bland 46--21 10 ROBERT PESHOCK, Primary Examiner.

C. R. WENTZEL, Assistant Examiner. 

